The Saracens RC junior finished fourth in the under-20 women's race at the Cinque Mulini race, near Milan - missing out on third in a close sprint with Miriam Haskell of Wales with both runners given the same time.

The 6km race, won by Russia's Tatiana Tchulaki, took the field through five water-mills in unusually hot conditions for cross-country, and 16-year-old Sanders was second England finisher, 11 seconds behind

*SOPHIE ROBERTS, of Princethorpe college and Saracens RC, was Warwick-shire's top finisher at the English Schools cross-country championship, finishing a creditable 24th in the junior girls race at Chelmsford from a field of 334.

Leslie Keighley of Massey Ferguson ran a personal best of 2-59-23 in the Gloucester '20', while club-mate John Ayler completed the 20 mile-plus Grizzly half-marathon in Devon in 3-19-00.

*PEUGEOT UK fielded six runners in a 12km road race at Hordain, in northern France, held as part of the twinning event with Ryton-on-Dunsmore, and returned with the team trophy despite travelling with a depleted squad.

*THE penultimate round of Rugby and District's winter handicap series drew a field of 17 for the 3.5-mile Manning Cup road race, based at the club's Ken Marriott Leisure Centre headquarters.

All but three of the runners finished within two minutes of each other to the relief of the handicapper, with Jan Wash first home and John Gercs (18-23) fastest on actual time.

Terry Akiens holds a one-point lead overall from Nigel Sewell, with Bryan Acford a further 20 points down in third but only a point ahead of Stuart Meadows who, in turn, holds the same minimum gap over Craig Webb.

Heather Fiddament-Harris leads the women's table by seven points from Sheila Taylor, who in turn has a four-point buffer over Di Craig.

*SPHINX AC secured second place overall in the under-17 men with a good showing in the final round of the West Midlands Young Athletes Cross-Country League at Perry Park.

Stuart Boon finished fourth on the day to take sixth place in the series. David O'Neill was a good seventh in the under-11 boys to clinch fourth spot in the final table.

Becky Sanders wrapped up the overall under-17 women's title for Saracens with her fourth win of the five-race series. Sophie Roberts saved her best for last with fourth place in the under-15 girls to finish sixth overall.

Leamington C&AC's Nawal Naji took the overall bronze in the under-17 women after finishing fifth at Perry Park, and sixth place lifted Trevor-Lee Betts to fourth overall in the under-15 boys.